HyperX SSD - SH100S3

Frequently Asked Questions

Featured Questions

If I enable security for my encrypted solid state drive, can I use it on another computer that is compatible with hard drive security mode?

You can but you first must disable the security for the drive in the original computer. Then you can enable it again in the new computer.

FAQ: KSD-011411-ENC-02

More Questions

How do I enable the security on an encrypted solid state drive?

Encrypted solid state drives utilize the hard drive security command available on most business class computers and motherboards. It is accessed through the BIOS. This will allow you to create a password for many HDD’s and SSD’s and to securely erase the drives if needed. Some computers will not have this feature. If this is the case, the drive can still be used, just without these security features. Be sure not to confuse BIOS password with the hard drive security password.

FAQ: KSD-011411-ENC-01

Will the SSD experience a performance decrease? If so, is there a way to reset the drive to a factory default?

Performance decrease has been reported on some of the SSDNow drives. If you have an older SSD drive that does not have effective Garbage Collection, SSD drive performance will drop over time.This is due to the way the system overwrites data that has been flagged for deletion.

Try using the Secure Erase tool like HDDErase to wipe the drive and restore it to original condition.

FAQ: KSD-011411-GEN-12

Can I use two or more SSD drives in a RAID?

Any of our SSDs can be used in RAID. But due to endurance specifications, only certain part numbers should be used in RAID. For servers, please contact Kingston to determine the best Kingston SSD to use for your workload.

FAQ: KSD-052511-GEN-17

Should I defragment the SSDNow drive to maintain optimal performance?

SSDs do not require defragmentation. Since there are no physical disks, there is no need to organize the data in order to reduce seek time. Therefore defragmenting an SSD is not effective. Also, defragmenting an SSD can put undue wear on specific areas of the drive. SSDs are designed to write data as evenly as possible over the entire drive to reduce undue wear to any one location. Nonetheless defragmenting your SSD drive a couple of times will not harm it. However if it is done continuously over a long period, it may reduce the life of the drive.

FAQ: KSD-011411-GEN-03

What is S.M.A.R.T. and do the SSDNow drives support it?

Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.) is a built-in monitoring capability in hard drives and SSDs. It can allow users to monitor the health of a device. It does this through monitoring software designed specifically for the S.M.A.R.T. feature. All of our SSDNow drives support S.M.A.R.T.

FAQ: KSD-011411-GEN-10

What is TRIM and Garbage Collection? How are they related? Will TRIM work in XP, Vista or Linux?

Over time, most of the storage locations on an SSD get written to. When they get written to again, they need to be conditioned in order to accept new data. This can cause a delay and is seen as a reduction in drive performance. Garbage collection is a function built into a SSD that reconditions empty storage locations so when new data is written to the drive, there are locations on the SSD ready to accept data.

Although Garbage Collection function is built into most SSD drives, some drives do a better job at it than others. TRIM resolves this issue by letting the operating system tell the drive when to perform this function. At this time, only Windows 7, Server 2008, MacOS 10.7 and newer versions of Linux use TRIM. Also, there are no RAID configurations that support TRIM no matter what operating system is used. All of Kingston’s MLC based SSDNow drives are TRIM compatible. Some of our first generation SSDNow drives are not TRIM compatible.

FAQ: KSD-011411-GEN-13

How do I verify the TRIM Command is enabled in Windows 7?

First, open an Elevated Command Prompt window.

To open an Elevated Command Prompt window: Click on Start Orb > Type "CMD.exe" in Search box > Right click on "CMD" and select "Run as Administrator" (If you receive a prompt confirmation, click YES)

To verify the TRIM command is enabled, type the following and press enter in the Elevated command:

The Windows Experience Index (WEI) merely measures the relative capability of components. The WEI only runs for a short time and does not measure the interactions of components under a software load, but rather characteristics or your hardware.

In Vista, the WEI scores ranged from 1.0 to 5.9. In Windows 7, the range has been extended upward to 7.9.

FAQ: KSD-011411-GEN-08

Is my data safe when I send my SSD back to Kingston for warranty replacement/repair?

Kingston realizes the importance of keeping our customers’ personal data and information confidential and secure. Kingston takes measures to ensure the security of all of our customers’ personal information when a Solid State Drive (SSD) is returned to our RMA facility for warranty replacement or repair. When an SSD reaches our repair center, it will undergo a thorough testing process. During the first phase of testing, an ATA Secure Erase is performed on the SSD which erases all data and information.ATA Secure Erase is federally-approved by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST 800-88) for legal sanitization of confidential user data. If the SSD is not in a functional state and not capable of undergoing an ATA Secure Erase, the SSD is dismantled and the NAND Flash Memory is destroyed.

FAQ: KSD-022411-GEN-15

If I enable the ATA security on my SSDNow drive and forget my password, can I reset the drive in order to use it again?

No. If you forget the password for this drive, it cannot be accessed.

Be aware that forgetting your password is not covered under Kingston's warranty.

The only exception to this is using a master or administrative password for the drive.

The BIOS would have to support this and it would have to be enabled at the time you initiated the ATA security for this drive.

Using a master password would allow an administrator to reset the drive.

KSD-011411-ENC-03

FAQ: KSD-011411-ENC-03

The toolbox will not see my drive. It states "No SandForce drives found" or "No Kingston drives found". How do I resolve this?

If your computer has an Intel based system, you may need to disable the Intel RST driver and revert back to the Microsoft default AHCI driver and then run the toolbox. On an AMD based system, the AMD AHCI driver may be blocking the toolbox.

The Windows AHCI driver must be loaded. To do this, right click on Computer and choose manage. Go to IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers>AMD SATA Controller or Intel SATA Controller. Right click on this and choose Update Driver software. Select Browse>Let me pick. Choose "Standard AHCI" from the list. Then reboot the computer. Then you should be able to run the toolbox.

FAQ: KSD-100812-LSI-02

What is ESD?

ElectroStatic Discharge, ESD is simply the discharge of built up static electricity.ESD should not be taken lightly as this is one of the few things an individual can do to damage or destroy their computer or hardware components.It is like when you rub your feet on the carpet and you touch something metal.ESD can occur without the user feeling a shock and will occur when only working on the inside of the computer or handling hardware.

How to help prevent ESD The best method of preventing ESD is to use an ESD wrist strap or a grounding mat or table.However, because most users do not have access to these items, we have included the below steps to help reduce the chance of ESD as much as possible.

Standing – We recommend that you are standing at all times when working on the computer. Setting on a chair can generate more electrostatic.

Cords - Make sure everything is removed from the back of the computer (power cord, mouse, keyboard, etc).

Clothes - Make sure not to wear any clothing that conducts a lot of Electrical Charge, such as a wool sweater.

Accessories - To help reduce ESD and help prevent other problem, it is also a good idea to remove all jewelry.

Weather - Electrical storms can increase the ESD risk; unless absolutely necessary, try not to work on a computer during an electrical storm.In very dry areas, the air itself becomes a part of the electrostatic build-up mechanism every time there is an air flow (wind, air conditioning, blower) passing over an insulated surface.Do not let high humidity levels build a false confidence, and beware of corrosion problems with interconnects and other electrical interfaces.

To learn more about ESD and how to protect your electronics, please refer to the below site.

When I connect my SSD as a secondary drive, it is seen as new hardware but I cannot see it as a usable drive. How can I resolve this?

Open the control panel, open administrative tools and then open computer management. Click on Disk Management and see if the SSD drive is seen in the right window pane. If it is, right click on where it is labeled as disk 1, disk 2, etc and select "Initialize disk" (this may come up automatically when you go to Disk Management).

In XP, right click on the area to the right of that and choose "New Partition". Then choose "Primary Partition" in the partition wizard. Continue with the wizard by choosing the size, drive letter and formatting of the partition.

In Windows Vista and 7, right click on the area to the right of the disk label and choose "New Simple Volume". Continue with the wizard by choosing the size, drive letter and formatting of the partition.

In MacOS, a "disk insertion" window will appear. Click on the "initialize" button. This will take you to the disk utility. Select the Kingston drive from the list of drives on the left side of the Window. From the actions available, choose partition. For the "Volume Scheme", choose "1 partition". For the format, choose MacOS extended for a permanent drive. Choose ExFAT for an external drive (available on MacOS 10.6.6 and above). Click Apply. A warning windows will appear stating you will erase all data from the drive. Click on the partition button at the bottom.

My drive is being seen by my older Macbook as a SATA I instead of a SATA II drive. Why?

There is a compatibility problem between older Macbook and Macbook pros with SATA II ports and LSI (Sandforce) based SSDs. There is no update a user can download to resolve this at this time.

FAQ: KSD-091712-LSI-01

What is ESD?

ElectroStatic Discharge, ESD is simply the discharge of built up static electricity, like when you rub your feet on carpet and then you touch something etal. ESD should not be taken lightly as this is one of the few things an individual can do to damage or destroy their computer or hardware components. ESD can occur without feeling a shock and can occur when only working on the inside of the computer or handling hardware.

How to help prevent ESD

The best method of preventing ESD is to use an ESD wrist strap or a grounding mat or table.However, because most users do not have access to these items, we have included the below steps to help reduce the chance of ESD as much as possible.

Standing – We recommend that you are standing at all times when working on the computer. Setting on a chair can generate more electrostatic.

Cords - Make sure everything is removed from the back of the computer (power cord, mouse, keyboard, etc).

Clothes - Make sure not to wear any clothing that conducts a lot of Electrical Charge, such as a wool sweater.

Accessories - To help reduce ESD and help prevent other problem, it is also a good idea to remove all jewelry.

Weather - Electrical storms can increase the ESD risk; unless absolutely necessary, try not to work on a computer during an electrical storm.In very dry areas, the air itself becomes a part of the electrostatic build-up mechanism every time there is an air flow (wind, air conditioning, blower) passing over an insulated surface.Do not let high humidity levels build a false confidence, and beware of corrosion problems with interconnects and other electrical interfaces.

To learn more about ESD and how to protect your electronics, please refer to the below site.

ESD Associationhttps://www.esda.org/about-esd/
FAQ: ESD-SSD-001

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